Tanzania's Livestock Vaccination Campaign to Boost Exports

Kijaji Emphasizes Livestock Identification and Vaccination for Market Access

Dodoma, Tanzania — The absence of adequate awareness about the critical role of livestock identification and vaccination has had a detrimental effect on the sale of Tanzanian livestock products in international markets. This challenge, as highlighted by Dr. Ashatu Kijaji, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, has impeded the growth of the livestock sector, which in turn has negatively affected the national economy.

Dr. Kijaji spoke at the Second National Livestock Vaccination and Identification Campaign meeting in Dodoma, underscoring that the lack of proper vaccination and identification is not only preventing Tanzanian livestock keepers from accessing global markets, but is also limiting their opportunities to secure essential financial services, such as loans and insurance.

"Vaccination and identification are national priorities as they will enable livestock keepers to access various services, including loans and insurance for their animals," Dr. Kijaji remarked. She pointed out that insufficient knowledge surrounding vaccination protocols has led to the exclusion of many Tanzanian livestock products from global markets, thereby slowing progress for both farmers and the country as a whole.

Echoing these concerns, Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr. Alexander Mnyeti, condemned individuals who are actively hindering government efforts to support livestock farmers. He warned that such actions are a direct impediment to the sector’s development.

"There are people within the system who deliberately frustrate these efforts. Let me be clear—those blocking the government’s initiatives to improve the livestock sector are standing in the way of progress, and we will not tolerate it," Mnyeti declared.

To address these challenges, the Tanzanian government has allocated over 200 billion Tanzanian Shillings for a comprehensive national livestock vaccination and identification campaign set to run from 2024 to 2029. This five-year initiative aims to improve productivity across the sector by targeting specific diseases in livestock.

The primary focus of the campaign will be vaccinating cattle against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), goats and sheep against Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and indigenous chickens against Newcastle Disease (ND). In its initial phase, the government aims to vaccinate more than 19 million cattle against CBPP, 20.9 million goats and sheep against PPR, and 40 million chickens against ND.

By achieving this ambitious vaccination target, the government intends to inoculate at least 70 percent of the national livestock population annually during the five-year campaign. This effort is designed to control diseases sustainably and open up new markets for Tanzanian livestock products, boosting the sector’s contribution to the national economy.